Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 745,182 on Thursday after 5,395 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country during the last 24 hours.
Overall 270,963 cases were confirmed in Sindh, 261,173 in Punjab, 103,419 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20,662 in Balochistan, 68,665 in Islamabad 5,163 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 15,137 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the government's COVID-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached to 15,982 with 110 fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.
Over the last twenty four hours, total number of recovered COVID-19 patients across the country reached 650,775 after another 4,123 virus recoveries were reported.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is working on a plan to develop a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for Pakistan.
As per the details, NIH Executive Director Major General Aamer Ikram on Thursday told the National Assembly standing committee on national health services that team of the institute is ready to undertake this task, while a Chinese team is already here to oversee the exercise.
He said the NIH had carried out a clinical trial of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CanSinoBio, placing the country among the first few to do so.
The NIH official added that China had been formally asked to transfer the vaccine technology and raw material for the vaccine will reach the country shortly.
The process of manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine will begin following the imminent restoration of the relevant NIH plant, which was closed a few years ago.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 137.866 million and death toll tops 2.965 million.
